This document is from a course on advanced presentation skills. It discusses the use of signposts, which are words or phrases that guide the audience through the structure of a presentation. The document defines signposts and provides examples of common signposting words for ordering events, highlighting importance, and building logical arguments. It also includes sample presentation notes that demonstrate how to effectively use signposts. Finally, it proposes discussion exercises for students to practice identifying opportunities to improve arguments by adding signposts.

1. © 2016 SkimaTalk, Inc.
SkimaTalk Official Course
Advanced Presentation Skills
Lesson 3: Using Signposts

2. Session Guidelines
2
Introduction / briefing
Deliver presentation
(Using pages 10 – 12)
Teacher feedback / discussion
Exercise and feedback
5
min
5
min
5
min
10
min
Spend 2 – 3 minutes
reviewing the content on
pages 4-7. Answer any
student questions.

3. Why Using Signposts?
3

4. What are Signposts?
4
Signpost: a word or phrase that guides the audience on the order
or important elements of a presentation.
Example:
When I wake up in the morning, I always follow the same routine.
First, I take a shower. Next, I get dressed. Finally, I eat breakfast.
Signposts

5. Signposts Will Help You Tell a Logical, Concise Story
5
Signposts will help you…
lExplain the order of events:use words such as first, second, and last to
outline the order of events.
lHighlight important information:use words such as the most important
and the least important to highlight the importance of information.
lBuild a logical argument: use words such as the primary reason and the
secondary reason to build your argument.

6. Examples of Signposts
6
Order of Events Importance Logical Argument
First The most important The first option
Second The least important The second option
Third Also importantis The final option
Before Equallyimportant is The primary reason
After Of most concern is The secondaryreason
Next Of less concern is The last reason
Finally
Lastly
To conclude

7. Signposts in Action
7
Argument: Reasons why California is better than New York.
Argument without signposts
California is better than New York. California has a diverse climate; you can ski
and surf on the same day! California has a great economy with lots of
technology companies. California has some of the best universities in the
world, including Stanford and UC Berkeley.
Argument with signposts
California is better than New York for three reasons. First, California has a
diverse climate; you can ski and surf on the same day. Second, California has a
great economy with lots of technology companies. Lastly, California has some
of the best universities in the world, including Stanford and UC Berkeley. For
these three reasons, California is better than New York.

8. Preparing For Your Presentation
8
Spend 30 minutes preparing for your SkimaTalk session.
1. Review the presentation & sample presentation
notes for this course (pages 10 – 16).
2. Revise the presentation notes (pages 13 – 16) by
adding signposts where appropriate.
3. Practice delivering the revised presentation notes in
front of a mirror.

9. Are You Ready?
9
Teacher Instructions:
1. Listen to the student deliver the full presentation without interruption.
2. During the presentation, write down the areas where the student could have added
signposts. To make this easier, we have added suggested signposts in red text in the
teacher version of the presentation notes.
3. Ask the student the following question: “Did you find this exercise easy or difficult?
Why?”
4. Review the areas where the student could have added signposts.
5. Discuss the importance of using signposts to convey order / structure for the audience
(e.g., “First”, “Next”, “Finally”).

10. Practice Presentation: Slide 1
Title: The Grand Canyon -
One of the Most Amazing Places on Earth
10

11. Practice Presentation: Slide 2
11
The Grand Canyon is most famous for its amazing views and
beautiful colors.
Amazing Views Beautiful Colors

12. Practice Presentation: Slide 3
12
It is also famous for its many large whitewater rapids
Granite Rapid
(mile 93)
Crystal Rapid (mile 98)
Lava Falls
(mile 179)
1
2
3

13. Sample Presentation Notes: Slide 1
13
l The Grand Canyon in the United States is considered one of the world’s great
natural wonders.
l Today I will explain to you why it is so famous!
TITLE SLIDE

14. Sample Presentation Notes: Slide 2
14
l The Grand Canyon has amazing views.
o One reason the views are so great is because the canyon is over 1 mile
deep!
o A second is reason is that The canyon was formed by erosion, so you see
many types of rocks as you move down the canyon.
o The third reason is that There are almost no trees in the canyon, so you
have unobstructed views of the canyon walls.
l The colors in the Grand Canyon are incredible.
o One reason is because The different rock types are each a different color.
o A second reason the colors in the canyon are incredible is that the sun
reflects off the deep canyon walls at strange angles.
AMAZING VIEWS & COLORS

15. Sample Presentation Notes: Slide 3
15
l The Grand Canyon is also famous for its big whitewater rapids.
l Granite Rapid is the first big rapid in the Grand Canyon.
o This rapid is located at mile 93.
o It is one of the most famous rapids on the river.
l The second big rapid, Crystal Rapid, is a rapid that is filled with big boulders.
o This rapid is located at mile 98.
o The rapid was formed in 1966 when a big flood washed boulders into
the river.
l One of the last big rapids is Lava Falls, which is the most famous rapid in the
Grand Canyon.
o Lava Falls, at mile 179, is a short rapid, but many consider it to be the
most difficult rapid in the Grand Canyon.
FAMOUS WHITEWATER RAPIDS

16. Sample Presentation Notes: Conclusion
16
l I hope you enjoyed learning about the Grand Canyon and everything that
makes it so amazing!
CONCLUSION

17. Discussion
17

18. For Discussion: Example #1
18
Read the argument below and discuss how you can improve it by
adding signposts
Argument:Italian food is the best food in the world.
Italian food is the best food in the world for three reasons.
First, Most Italian food uses lots of fresh produce like tomatoes and olives.
Second, Italian food includes a variety of dishes, including: pasta, pizza, and
great wine.
Finally, Italian food is often cooked in olive oil, which gives the food a special
flavor.
Ask the student to read the
full argument. Then discuss
where you might add
signposts. We have added
suggested signposts in red
text in the teacher version
of the lesson notes.

19. For Discussion: Example #2 (time permitting)
19
Read the argument below and discuss how you can improve it by
adding signposts
Argument:Learning to walk is a 3-step process for babies.
Babies usually go through three steps when learning to walk.
The first step in the process is learning to crawl, which typically happens
between 7 and 10 months of age.
The second step is Babies usually learn to stand between 9 and 12 months after
birth.
The final step is Babies typically learn to walk between 12 and 15 months after
birth. By 15 months, most babies are walking well.
Ask the student to read the
full argument. Then discuss
where you might add
signposts. We have added
suggested signposts in red
text in the teacher version
of the lesson notes.

20. 20
End of Lesson
We Hope You Enjoyed It!